Add an eventSessions at SXSW Interactive 2012 of type Dual about Elections and Politics
Sunday 11th March 2012
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Vote4Geeks: Why Techies Should Run for Office
by Julie Germany and Lindsay Marsh
On the surface level, scientists, technologists, and engineers might not seem like the perfect politicians. Maybe they aren’t always as airbrushed as the pundits on TV. But consider this: each year decisions are made on school boards, in state legislatures, and in Congress that effect infrastructure, science education, health research, and the technology industry. We need more geeks at all levels of government -- school boards, city councils, state legislatures, and Congress. America needs you. And you need to know how to position yourself, fundraise, mobilize grassroots support, run for office, and win.
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Isn’t It Time for an Online Presidential Primary?
by Joshua Levine and Kahlil Byrd
The Presidential Primary system is broken. It’s a hodgepodge of partisan elections that form a strange serpentine journey through the calendar and each state’s public opinion -- always playing to the extremes of the respective parties to capture their “base.” It's also the only system we had to choose presidential candidates. Until now.
Isn’t it time we used the Internet to flatten the playing field? Shouldn’t each voter, from every state, have an equal voice in selecting presidential candidates?
We're creating the vehicle, but it’s up to our Delegates to drive it home. Any registered voter can become an Americans Elect Delegate. And as a Delegate, you'll help craft the rules, shape the debate, and ultimately choose the nominees. Isn’t it time for AmericansElect.org?
Monday 12th March 2012
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Why Hasn't the Internet Made Voting Awesome?
by Paul Schreiber and Seth Flaxman
In the United States, only 50% of people vote in presidential elections. That drops to 40% for midterm elections, and 10% for primary, local and special elections. Worldwide, we rank 138th in voter turnout. The Internet has made it easy to find your old friends from college; download any song you want; get shoes delivered the very next day, and help create social change by signing petitions, making donations and lobbying congress.So why hasn't the Internet made voting awesome? Seth Flaxman and Paul Schreiber of Democracy Works will talk about why the voting system is so broken, and how the Internet can route around inefficiency and bureaucracy to increase voter turnout and make voting fit the way we live today.
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